Clarkson works overtime, survives

CANTON — Two games, two overtimes, and two different winners as Clarkson handed St. Lawrence a 4-3 overtime loss Saturday, forcing a decisive Game 3 in the men's ECAC Hockey Tournament opening round.

"You can't ask for more as a player," St. Lawrence defenseman Derek Keller said of the impending final game. "This is where players are made."

In front of 1,891 people on Saturday, it was Ogdensburg native Jake Morley who provided the heroics for Clarkson in overtime.

Morley was already breaking down ice when Clarkson's Brandon DeFazio tried to clear the puck with St. Lawrence in the offensive zone.

Morley gloved the puck and found himself one-on-one with SLU goalie Alex Petizian.

"I was thinking shot first because (Petizian) drops his pads behind him all the time," Morley said. "I faked the shot and he tucked the pads behind his legs. I went to my backhand and chipped it over."

It capped a game in which Clarkson refused to go away, even after St. Lawrence twice took the lead.

"The way we played last night and the way we came out tonight was a completely different effort," Clarkson coach George Roll said. "We didn't win every battle, but we were in all the battles."

The Golden Knights could have easily surrendered in the third period. First, the Saints gained a 4-on-3 advantage just 22 seconds into the final 20-minute session.

The Saints were on top 2-1 and their power play had already scored one goal — Aaron Bogosian at 3 minutes, 25 seconds of the first — when Mike McKenzie passed the puck just in front of the crease to the waiting Keller.

"I didn't get all of it," Keller said of the shot. "If I get good wood on that, the goalie doesn't have a chance."

Instead, somehow, Clarkson goalie Paul Karpowich made a stick-handle save to keep the Golden Knights within a score.

"Keller made a great play and I don't know how Karpowich stopped it," said St. Lawrence coach Joe Marsh said. "That's playoff hockey."

Said McKenzie: "We had a chance to put them away and couldn't capitalize. We just didn't bury it when we had the chance."

Then Clarkson knotted the score at 2-2 when Matt Beca, who has 14 points in 12 career games against St. Lawrence, broke his series silence.

The senior rifled a loose puck in front to Petizian's stick side, scoring at 8:21 of the third.

"It was a pretty big goal," Beca said. "It gave us a little bit of momentum."

Whatever momentum Clarkson gained, St. Lawrence stole back when McKenzie scored a seemingly devastating goal at 12:47 to give SLU a 3-2 advantage.

"I think some of the guys thought Clarkson was going to roll over and let us have the win," Keller said. "That's not the case. They're going to fight to the end."

Nick Tremblay forced overtime for the Golden Knights with just 3:32 to play in regulation, nearly four minutes after McKenzie's go-ahead goal.

"You see how difficult it is to send a team home," Marsh said. "These teams are absolutely dead even in so many ways."

After five deadlocked games this year, one team's hopes of extending its season rests on a final matchup at 7 tonight.

"I think now we have all the momentum," Morley said. "We outskated them the entire game. We played a hard 60 (minutes) tonight."

St. Lawrence now has to recover from its own crushing loss the way Clarkson did in order to win and play next weekend.

"We just have to match their desperation tomorrow," Keller said. "We win or we go home Hopefully that's enough motivation to get the guys going."

nNOTES:Petizian finished with 22 saves, falling to 5-5-3 overall this season. Karpowich stopped 13 shots in the third period, three in overtime and finished with 31 saves for Clarkson. So far this series, the sophomore has 78 saves. He is now 7-18-4. ... SLU'sJake Drewiskehas five career goals. All of them have come this season and three were against Clarkson. He had St. Lawrence's second goal. ...Travis Vermeulenadded to team-leading point total, picking up one assist. He has 39 points this season... Should Clarkson win, it will play at Yale in the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals. St. Lawrence would play at Colgate if it wins.

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HOMETOWN HERO: Morley contributes to legacy of rivalry

By CAP CAREY

TIMES SPORTSWRITER

CANTON — Growing up in nearby Ogdensburg, Clarkson University's Jake Morley saw plenty of Clarkson-St. Lawrence hockey games as a kid.

But Saturday night he was the hero in one of those games, scoring a breakaway goal at 6 minutes, 48 seconds of overtime to send the Golden Knights to a Game 3 with the Saints in an ECAC Hockey first-round men's playoff series.

Morley's goal gave Clarkson (9-23-4 overall) a 4-3 win over SLU and forced a decisive third game at 7 tonight in SLU's Appleton Arena.

"It means a lot," Morley said. "It's just a privilege to play at one of these two schools. It's a great honor, especially to do something like that."

The play started with a long, but high, pass from Brandon DeFazio. Morley had to reach up to snatch the puck, then dropped it quickly and skated in alone on SLU goalie Alex Petizian, beating him with a shot over the pads.

"Unbelievable play," said Clarkson coach George Roll. "For him to stay onside, and get it on the stick, was just great all-around execution."

Said Clarkson captain Scott Freeman, who saw the play from the bench, "It was a pretty good catch by him. He made a nice move and put it on the net."

NOT JANUARY'S GOLDEN KNIGHTS

Clarkson went through a nine-game winless streak that started in early January and didn't end until the second week of February.

The Golden Knights went 0-8-1 in that stretch, which played a big part in why the team finished in last place in the conference.

But since then Clarkson has been 4-3-1 and Saturday's game showed a major difference in the Golden Knights.

Clarkson blew a 1-0 lead and fell behind twice, by scores of 2-1 and 3-2.

But instead of folding up and losing by three or more goals, as might have happened earlier in the year, Clarkson answered SLU leads twice and forced overtime with a goal from Nick Tremblay with 3 minutes, 32 seconds left in the third period.

"It's a different team from the start of the year for sure," Tremblay said. "Right now we're doing all the little things and it's good for us."

Said Roll, "Tonight was a perfect example of guys sticking with it and battling."

PREMATURE CELEBRATION?

When SLU's Mike McKenzie scored a goal with 7:13 left in the third period to give the Saints a 3-2 lead, Appleton Arena erupted with applause.

McKenzie made a sawing gesture with his arm, perceived by some as a knock on Clarkson's student section that calls itself the "Bonesaw Brigade".

The celebration did not go unnoticed by the Clarkson players across the way.

"That's something you notice," said Clarkson's Matt Beca. "There's not a whole lot you can do at that point. You do what we did. You get a goal. That's the only way you can really hurt them. You don't want to take any stupid penalties. All you can do is go out there and score."

FOR THE SENIORS

When Beca scored a goal at 8:21 of the third period to tie the game 2-2, one had to wonder if it might have been his last goal as a Golden Knight.

But thanks to Morley's overtime game-winner, Beca and fellow seniors Tim Marks and Jeremiah Crowe have at least one more game in their careers.

"We're a really close team and it's huge for (the seniors) to play one more game and hopefully make it to the next round," Tremblay said.